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5/16/10

Mexican Scrambled Egg Tacos with Black Beans and Rice

I woke up this morning and decided to flip through the pages of Rick Bayless's cookbook, "Mexican Everyday". I was looking for something to make for dinner later today, but instead came across a recipe for Mexican Scrambled Egg Tacos and I thought that just sounded SO good. One of the great things about Rick Bayless's cookbook is that not only does he share some spectacular recipes, he gives tons of tips and insights into how he likes to eat, serve, and change up his recipes. Regarding this recipe, he mentioned that he always like to have a spoonful of fried black beans with these tacos. I thought that sounded good too, so I figured I'd just go all out and make a full meal, even though it was only 1:00pm. Ah, it's Sunday... no rules today.

I decided to wrap these tacos up like burritos - they're easier to eat that way. I also added cheese because well, it's a must! At least for me anyway. They were delicious and just what I wanted to start the day. They have a bright, fresh flavor and the fact that I used freshly cooked flour tortillas made them that much better.

To go along with the burritos, I cooked up some black beans. I started them off by dicing up some pancetta and frying it up in a pan. After the pancetta was done, I removed it with a slotted spoon and got rid of all but a tablespoon of the drippings. Next, I added some diced onions and after a couple minutes, I added two cans of black beans that had been drained and rinsed. I seasoned the beans with about a teaspoon of cumin. I fried the beans up for a few minutes until they became creamy. This is a delicious way to make black beans.

So to make the tacos, with a food processor or blender running, drop in the garlic and chiles one piece at a time, letting each piece get finely chopped before adding the next. Stop the food processor (or blender) and add the onion, then pulse until most of the onion pieces are no longer than 1/4 inch.

Heat the oil (or its alternative) in a very large (12-inch) skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring regularly, until starting to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Once the onion mixture starts to brown as seen above, raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the tomato liquid evaporates and the oil separates out again, about 4 minutes.

Cook the tomato-onion mixture until all the liquid evaporates. Season it with sea salt to taste to bring out all the flavors.

The mixture will look like the picture above when it's ready. It turns into a kind of cooked salsa and it's so very good.

Here are the uncooked tortillas we buy from Costco - THIS is the only way to go if you can find them. They are the freshest tortillas you'll ever eat because you literally cook them yourself minutes before you eat them. They're spectacular.

This is what they look like before they're cooked - they're just dough. Carefully peel them apart as you use them.

To cook them, place them on a hot, dry cast iron griddle or pan for 30 seconds on each side (or until they're done to your taste).

... and this is what they look like when they're cooked! SO good.

So next, you just scramble up the eggs until done to your liking. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

To assemble the tacos, start by filling them with some eggs and some of the tomato-onion mixture.

Next, sprinkle on some cheese (if you choose to add cheese) and pop the plate in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt the cheese.

Finally, top them with a little sour cream (if you choose) and some fresh cilantro leaves (a must in my opinion). Roll them up or fold them, whichever you prefer, and serve! I served them with the black beans and some simple Basmati rice cooked in chicken broth. Perfect, perfect perfect. I highly recommend this recipe.

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